Air cleaning and induction system inlet means



w. F. THORNBURGH 2,959,248

AIR CLEANING AND INDUCTIQN SYSTEM INLET MEANS 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 Nov. 8, 1960 Filed July 7, 1959 INVENTOR.

ATTORNEY Nov. 8, 1960 w. F. THORNBURGH 2,959,248

AIR CLEANING AND INDUCTION SYSTEM INLET MEANS Filed July 7, 1959 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 IN VEN TOR.

ATTORNEY United States Pate-m AIR CLEANING AND INDUCTION SYSTEM INLET MEANS William F. Thornburgh, Flint, Mich., assignor to General Motors Corporation, Detroit, Mich., a corporation of Delaware Filed July 7, 1959, Ser. No. 825,492

2 Claims. (Cl. 183-73) This invention relates to air cleaning means, particularly to air cleaning means for the induction system inlets for internal combustion engines and the like.

It is proposed to provide an air cleaner having an inner air conducting and flame quenching part and an outer air cleaning part, the latter being adapted to be projected over the inner part and secured and sealed thereon by the elastic inner edges of the end plates engaging the filter element for the outer air cleaning part.

Figure l is a fragmentary side elevational view of a motor generator unit having air cleaning and flame quenching means for the induction system of the internal combustion engine employed in the unit.

Figure 2 is a cross-sectional view through the cleaning and quenching means as the structure would appear in the plane of line 2-2 on Figure 1.

Figure 3 is a vertical sectional view through the cleaning and quenching means and the induction system inlet embodied in the structure disclosed by Figure 1. Figure 3 is taken substantially in the plane of line 3-3 of Figure 1 looking in the direction of the arrows.

Figure 1 illustrates the motor generator or other unit 10in which an internal combustion engine 11 is employed in driving a generator 12. The engine 11 may have a cylinder 13 adapted to be supplied with air for operating the engine by an induction system 14 having an air inlet 16. Air cleaning and flame quenching means 17 may be associated with the induction system 14 for supplying air to the inlet 16 and quenching any flame projected from the inlet 16 by a backfire within the engine. The air cleaning and flame quenching means may comprise an outer part or air cleaning means 18 and an inner part or flame quenching and supporting means 19. The inner part embraces a sleeve 21 having inner and outer ends 23 and 24 respectively and between which a flange 26 projects outwardly. The sleeve 21 may have a closed outer end indicated at 27. The sleeve 21 also may have an annular shoulder 28 adjacent the sleeve 21 and an annular shoulder 29 adjacent the closed end 27 and between which shoulders a plurality of perforations 31 may be provided for supplying air to the interior of the sleeve 21 and the inlet 16. The sleeve 21 may be made of a material capable of rapidly absorbing heat so that the perforations 31 may quench any flame projected from the inlet 16 by a backfire within the engine. The sleeve 21 may be formed in any suitable manner as by employing a collar 32 at the inner end thereof which might include the flange 26 by employing a collar 33 outwardly of the flange 26 which includes the shoulder 28, and by employing a separate closure member 34 including the shoulder 29 and forming the closed end 27.

The cleaner 18 may embrace a pair of plastic or other suitable end plates 36 having elastic inner edges 37 around axially disposed openings in the end plates that are smaller than the shoulders 28 and 29 of the sleeve 21. The end plates 36 have imbedded therein the opposite ends of an outer screen or support 38 and a pleated ice paper or other suitable filter 39. The cleaner 18 may be secured on the sleeve 21 by projecting the cleaner 18 over the closed end 27 of the sleeve 21 with the inner one of the end plates 36 engaging the flange 26 and the inner edges 37 of the endplates 36 being elastically deformed by the shoulders 28 and 29 to provide air seals for the end plates to resiliently secure the cleaner 18 upon the inner flame quenching and supporting part 19.

The unit 17 may be secured to the induction system 14 of the engine 11 by a bolt 41 projecting through the closed end 27 and having a threaded end 42 engaging a threaded opening in a support 43 extending across the induction system inlet 16. Removal of the bolt 41 will allow the entire unit 17 to be removed from the induction system inlet 16. Removal of the bolt 41 also will permit removal of the end closure 34, thereby releasing the compression of the inner edge of the outer end plate 36 upon the shoulder 29. This expedient may be employed to facilitate removal of the cleaner 18 from the inner flame quenching and supporting part 19 without removing the inner flame quenching and support part 19 from the induction system inlet 16.

A bead 44 may be formed on the closure means 34 to aid in securing the cleaner 18 upon the sleeve 21 and against the flange 26. However, a backfire in the engine will not tend to blow the cleaner 18 from its inner support. It will be apparent that the force resulting from the backfire will expand from the sleeve 21 through the perforations 31 which are disposed radially with respect to the axis of the sleeve 21 and to the inner surface of the filter element 39.

I claim:

1. An air cleaner for the air inlet for the induction system of an internal combustion engine or the like and comprising a flanged sleeve having an inner end on one side of said flange adapted to project into said air inlet and having an outer end on the other side of said flange adapted to project outwardly from said inlet, said sleeve having a closed end at said outer end of said sleeve and in spaced relation to said flange, spaced shoulders formed on said sleeve adjacent said flange and adjacent said closed end, a filter element having end plates with axially disposed openings therethrough, said end plates having elastic inner edges around said openings and said openings being smaller than said shoulders, said filter element being adapted to be projected around said outer end of said sleeve with the inner one of said end plates engaging said flange and with said inner edges of said end plates being expanded by said shoulders to provide seals for seal-ing said end plates with respect to said sleeve, and means securing said sleeve to said inlet, said sleeve within said filter and between said end plates being perforated to provide air flow passages between said filter and said air inlet and to provide flame quenching means between said air inlet and said filter, said sleeve being removable from said air inlet by removing said securing means.

2. An air cleaner for the air inlet for the induction system of an internal combustion engine or the like and comprising a flanged sleeve having an inner end on one side of said flange adapted to project into said air inlet and having an outer end on the other side of said flange adapted to project outwardly from said inlet, a shoulder formed on said sleeve adjacent said flange and on said outer end of said sleeve, a filter element having end plates with axially disposed openings extending therethrough, said end plates having elastic inner edges around. said openings, said filter element being adapted to be projected on said outer end of said sleeve with the inner one of said end plates engaging said flange and with the inner edge of said inner end plate being expanded by said shoulder to provide a seal for sealing said inner end plate with respect to said flange and said shoulder, an

end closure adapted to be projected over the outer end of said sleeve and between said outer end and the outer one of saidend plates and expanding the inner edge of said end plate to provide a seal between said outer end plate and the end of said closure overlapping said outer end of said sleeve, means formed on said closure and engaging said end plate and limiting the inner movement of said closure, and means securing said closure on said 10 outer end of said sleeve and against said outer one of said plates and securing said inner end of said sleeve within said inlet, said sleeve within said filter and between said end plates being perforated to provide air flow passages between said filter and said air inlet and to provide flame 15 References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,463,722 Spraragen Mar. 8, 1949 2,675,886 McMullen Apr. 20, 1954 FOREIGN PATENTS 756,336 Great Britain Sept. 5, 1956 

